Peace Out
by midvinternatten
Summary: SPN s7, 2nd "episode":  Evil is coming, leaving mysterious runes written in blood. Sam and Dean are forced to uproot Alice and Jim to keep them safe. What's it like adjusting to a hunter's lifestyle? And what do you do when you're out of options?
1. Chapter 1

**Hi, **

**Here's the 2nd "episode" of my SUPERNATURAL story. The 1st "episode" is called _Piece of Heaven_.  
**

**My goal is to give you the feeling of a TV-episode. Hope you won't be scared off by the many chapters, they're very short each!  
**

**Please enjoy, and I'd love some comments! :o)**

* * *

Playing Thin Lizzy – The Boys Are Back in Town, the '67 Impala flew over a bump in the road. The sun was frying and there were no other cars in sight.

Sam looked over at Dean, chuckling into his cell phone:

"All right buddy, let me talk to your mother for a bit." Dean turned to Sam while waiting. "The little weasel... They're talking about the Civil War at Jim's school. He wants to know if we know any 'cool ghost' who can tell him all about it."

"That kid is NOT afraid," Sam smiled.

"No, and he's not gonna be…" Dean gazed at the road with a determined expression. Sam paused for a beat.

"Hate to rain on your Little League, Dean, but he's already seen what's out there."

"He's seen his quirky uncle read out loud from books," said Dean. "And me pass out in the yard...which is bad, but that's about it."

"So, you're not gonna teach him the family trait then?"

"Nope. This one's actually gonna have a life, Sammy." Dean tapped the steering wheel. "Maybe when he gets old enough I'll tell him a few things he can do to protect himself. You know, just the basics: salt, iron, silver...stay the HELL away from crossroads…"

Dean's thought was interrupted by someone talking to him on the cell phone.

"Hey baby it's me, were in Georgia. Yeah it went okay. Sam got slimed on…"

Sam turned his head scowling Dean, who just shrugged at him and continued: "Yeah, the… Hello..? You've got company?"

Suddenly there was a blood curling scream on the other end of the phone. Dean steered the car to the edge of the road and stopped with screeching tires.

"Allie?"

Dean listened closely, trying to pick up any sounds that might tell him what was happening. Sam stared attentively at Dean, his only source of information.

"Alice!" Dean tried again in a demanding voice. His eyes widened as he heard something else. He turned to Sam in desperation. "Son of a bitch, they've got Jim!"

Sam didn't know what to say. Suddenly something rushed through Dean's body; he gasped, had some kind of seizure and fell back lifeless in his seat.

"Dean!" Sam leaned over and tried to shake his brother awake. No reaction. "Come on, come on..!" Sam mumbled franticly as he tried checking for a pulse.

Dean came to life. He sat back up and gave Sam a glare that made him flinch back and press up against the car door.

"Michael..?" Sam frowned. Michael stared back at him in silent contempt.

"He needs you," he said, then reached out and touched the dashboard with two fingers.

The Impala with everyone in it zapped away, before us laid only the empty road.


	2. Chapter 2

The Impala magically appeared on Alice's front lawn. Sam looked around in shock, and then back at his brother. Dean woke up.

"Wh...whatta..? Hey!" Dean reacted, a little woozy.

"Dude..!" Sam shook his head.

They heard Alice screaming and Bowler barking from inside the house. The Winchesters jumped out of the car and started running towards the house. Halfway there, Sam stopped and ran back to the car. Dean didn't even notice and kept going.

X

The door was locked. Dean hurled himself at it shoulder first, trying to break it down.

"Allie? Jim?"

The door busted open and Dean rushed in. He stopped briefly in the hallway and looked around in panic, then ran through the kitchen, and into the living room. He halted when he saw his son lying there crying on the floor, in a circle of symbols written in blood. An invisible force was holding him down.

"Jim..!" Dean gasped. The next second he was swung across the room and pinned up against the wall. On the opposite wall he saw Alice, unable to move, much like his mother on that night. Dean stared at her in horror. No..! She squirmed and looked at him with pleading eyes. Dean couldn't breathe.

A demon inside a soccer-mom came out into the room. She was holding one hand out, pinning them all down. The demon had cut into her own arm for blood, and her fingertips were red from drawing the symbols on the floor.

Bowler lashed at her, barking. She turned her head and stared at him, flashing her black demon-eyes, and he took off whimpering. Soccer-mom turned her attention back to Dean:

"Awww, how sweet. Is this a family reunion?" she taunted.

"It is now," said Sam.

The demon spun around. Sam was standing in the door of the living room, pointing the Colt at her forehead. He fired. Blood spatter spewed onto the living room wall and soccer-mom fell lifeless to the floor.

Dean and Alice fell down from the walls. Jim could move again.

"Mom..!" he cried, got up and ran over to Alice. She ran up to meet him and they hugged kneeling on the floor.

"It's okay, it's okay… You're okay!" she said, comforting them both.

Dean looked around panting, still in shock. He pointed at the symbols on the floor, and turned to Sam:

"Whatta hell?"

"I don't know Dean, but we should get out of here, like NOW. There's gonna be more coming."

Dean just stared at him.

"What ever this is, that thing knew _you_ are a part of this family," Sam explained. "It's not random, Jim is the target. And they're not finished!"

Dean turned to Alice and Jim on the floor:  
"All right you two, we're leaving. Now!"

Alice tried to ask what was going on, but couldn't form the words. Sam gently pulled them up off the floor, lifted up Jim and held him while instructing Alice.

"Pack ONE bag for each of you. Two minutes, go!"

Alice stumbled away upstairs to pack. Dean tried to calm down. He pulled out his cell phone and took a picture of the drawings on the floor, then walked over and took Jim from Sam. He held his son tight, thinking: "If we had been here just one minute too late..."

X

Sam aimed the Colt where his eyes went, as he made it to the front passenger seat of the Impala. Dean carried two duffle bags and put them in the trunk. Alice had Jim's hand in a tight grip as they followed the Winchesters. Bowler came running after his family.

Mrs. Neighbor popped her head out from behind the rose bushes, looking concerned.

"Alice? Is everything all right dear?"

Alice spun around. Sam hid his gun. Alice looked at Mrs. Neighbor, then at Bowler.

"Yeah," she said. "Do you think you could take Bowler for a few days? We have to go...uhm, visit my aunt in Tacoma. She fell and broke her hip."

"Oh, goodness me! I hope she's okay?" said Mrs. Neighbor and stepped into Alice's yard. "Bowler, come here boy."

Alice signaled to Bowler to go over to Mrs. Neighbor, and he obeyed.

"No!" Jim protested.

"Honey, we have to go now!" Alice tried to explain. Dean came up to them, nodded to Mrs. Neighbor, and made off with Jim. He put his son in the backseat, behind Sam.

Alice lingered, twisting her hands, looking at Bowler and at the house one last time.

"Thank you. So very, very much..." she told Mrs. Neighbor, who looked back in confusion.

"Baby, come on!" Dean called from the Impala. Alice ran over there and got in the backseat, behind Dean.

Mrs. Neighbor stood there holding Bowler's collar as the Impala took off.


	3. Chapter 3

In the pouring rain, the Impala drove in at a motel parking lot. Sam jogged over to the check in, while Dean got everyone's bags out of the trunk. Alice climbed out of the car, carrying a sleeping Jim over to the motel. She and Dean stayed out of the rain, under the tiny exterior roof of the motel, waiting for Sam.

He returned holding keys for two rooms, and unlocked one of the doors.

"Let's just all go in here for a second..." he said.

Alice went straight to one of the beds, put Jim down and started peeling off his clothes. The boy grunted but didn't really wake up. Sam and Dean salted the door and windows while she got Jim's pajamas on and tucked him in.

She went over to talk to the Winchesters.

"We've got a problem..." said Sam and sighed.

"I'd say. Where do we stash you, Stretch?" asked Dean.

Sam was too tired to be offended.

"I take it you and Alice are staying in the same room?"

"Well, yeah!" Dean snorted, then turned to Alice. "Uh, we are, right? Or..? I mean, if... Well, it's not like you _have_ to... I just... You know, you... Uhm..?"

Alice just looked at Dean with a calm smile, watching him turn himself into knots. When he finally shut up she turned to Sam.

"Are you okay with that?"

"Sure… I mean... Yeah!" Sam was not happy about being placed at the kid's table. Dean either didn't care or didn't notice. He put his arm around Alice with a big grin.

"All right, sleep tight. Ware head phones," he said. Sam rolled his eyes.

"Dean, the problem I was talking about..." Sam held up his credit card. "It seems like our dear Mr. Marty Stewart used up all the credit at his latest withdrawal. Now the guy insists we pay for the rooms in cash."

Dean sighed and started padding his pockets.

"Okay, I've got... 15 bucks."

"And I've got the change from my last burger," said Sam.

They both sigh, tired and annoyed. This was going to take all night.

Alice looked back and forth at them.

"Well...hello? Just take me to an ATM," she said.

Dean lifted his head and looked uncomfortable.

"Uhm, honey... You can't use your credit card. Ever again."

"What? Why?" she asked.

"Because there's kind of a…dead person in your living room," said Dean.

Alice's eyes widened.

"And when they find the body, the cops are gonna put a trace on your bank accounts to track you down," Sam added.

Alice went to sit down on one of the chairs in the room. She paused for a minute, then nodded to herself.

"Tomorrow I'm transferring all the money into Jim's college fund. He'll use it one day."

"Sounds like a good plan," said Sam.

Dean went and squatted down in front of her.

"I'm sorry," he said. She stroked his chin and smiled slightly.

"For what?" she asked. "Showing up at exactly the right moment and getting Jim and me out of there? Yeah, you're baaad..!" She giggled softly.

"For messing up your life. If Jim wasn't my kid, then..."

"Then he wouldn't have your eyes," she interrupted him. "Sorry Dean, you're not getting the blame for this one. I chose you, knowing who you are and what you do." She paused and took a deep breath. "And you know... I've been trying to imagine what your lives are like, being on the road, chasing monsters and all. I guess I'll see for myself now…"

Sam stood there listening to their conversation. He felt compelled to give her a way out:

"Maybe you won't have to live like this forever," he said. "I mean, maybe you're not in any trouble. Your neighbor saw you getting into the car with us. It's perfectly plausible you were kidnapped by Jim's 'deranged father'."  
"Thank you Sam!" Dean frowned from the floor.

"Here to help."

"So... How do we get cash?" asked Alice. Dean smirked, turned around and looked at his brother. Sam chuckled and nodded towards the door.

"Go teach."


	4. Chapter 4

Billy Squier – She Goes Down was playing as Dean and Alice entered the bar. Alice was wearing a tight top, shorts and a lot of makeup. The place was packed with customers, mostly males. In the back of the room three guys were playing pool.

Dean escorted her over to the bar, nodded at the bartender and reached over the counter to give her a bowl of peanuts.

"Be right back," Dean said and headed for the bathroom.

She chucked down a couple of peanuts, then turned around to scope out the room.

X

Def Leppard – Pour Some Sugar On Me was on when Dean returned. He went straight to the bar, but Alice wasn't where he had left her.

"Beer me. Twice," he told the bartender. He received two beers, paid and turned around to look for Alice. When he spotted her he couldn't believe his eyes!

Across the room by the pool tables, he saw Alice flirting shamelessly – smiling, arching and pouting everything God gave her. She was surrounded by three horny guys, who were teaching her how to play pool.

Dean went over there. Whatta hell? He loudly pulled out a chair and took a seat right next to the pool tables, openly watching them, waiting for her to discover him. She did, but just smiled. Dean didn't interrupt or complain, he just sat there sucking on his beer feeling like a big idiot.

"So except for the white ball, _everything_ goes in the hole?" Alice asked. The guys started giggling. Big Guy laughed loudly, snoring and panting.

"You've got that right, baby..." he said.

When she realized what she had just said, she hid behind Nice Guy, laughed and pointed at Big Guy.

"He's horrible!"

"Ow, I'll keep you safe," promised Nice Guy.

"Safe from what, your extra musky aftershave?" Short Guy snarked. "Get your ass over here and break."

X

The guys kept trying to teach her how to play, but she was truly horrible at it. They ordered in more and more beer. Dean checked his wrist watch.

Every time Alice managed to get a ball in the hole she jumped up and down with joy, not realizing she was shaking her boobs at the guys. Good times. Dean was boiling in his chair.

Alice got more and more drunk, and Dean considered stepping in. They were even starting to draw a crowd that followed the game. And Alice.

X

"Wait, I'm putting 5 on Henryyy!" she grinned and leaned on Nice Guy in a drunken embrace. He looked shy, yet thrilled out of his mind.

"What? You can't bet on someone else..." Short Guy protested.

"Yes I can!" said Alice. "Freedom of speech...or whatever!" She laughed so hard she almost took a tumble down on the floor.

X

Soon almost every guy in the bar was watching the pool game, betting on the players. Alice was excited over the game and all the attention she was getting from the men. Dean was too embarrassed to acknowledge she was there supposedly with him.

"I thh... I think I'm getting better at thisss! Who's betting on ME?" she shouted all giddy and tossed a hand up in the air. The guys just chuckles at her.

"Hells no," said Short Guy.

"Sorry, babe!" said Big Guy.

"Ow!" Alice looked disappointed.

"I'll put 20 on you..." Nice Guy tried, but she wouldn't have it.

"Nonono, don't be doing me any favors here!" She shook a wobbly finger at him.

"Eh, okay... 20 on Lloyd then. Sorry," said Nice Guy.

"It's all right, it's all right!" She turned to the crowd. "I'm putting 20 on the hot chick...and ssshe's breaking…" She pointed decisively at the pool table, except it wasn't where she thought it was. Someone in the crowd was good enough to correct her arm to point where the pool table was actually located. "...over there!" she giggled, drunk as a skunk.

Nice Guy put all the balls into the rack on the table and Big Guy lifted Alice over there, cue and all. The crowd was betting and all the money went into a huge pile on the side of the table.

Alice looked at the pile of money. As she leaned over to break, she glanced over at Dean and smirked. Suddenly she seemed very sober and sharp. Dean looked back at her, confused.

She broke and got a few balls into the holes. She kept shooting and didn't miss even once. Dean sat up in his chair. Whatta..? Then he caught on. She was doing exactly what he was here to teach her – hustling! He smiled big, very proud of her, leaned back and had another sip of beer.

The other men were watching Alice go, looking increasingly angry.

X

Alice won. She put the cue on the table, picked up the pile of money and tried to sneak off. Short Guy wasn't having it, he grabbed her arm.

"Hey, you put that back, bitch!"

Dean jumped up from his chair and got between Short Guy and Alice.

"Seams to me like she won that fair and square. Why don't you cut your losses, buddy?" said Dean.

"Who the hell are you, her pimp?" asked Short Guy, and the crowd laughed. Dean looked bored. Big Guy came up and stood behind Short Guy. Short Guy pushed Dean in the chest.

"You don't wanna do that," Dean tried.

"Yeah, I think I do…"

Short Guy took a swing at Dean, but missed by a mile. The bar fight was on!

Dean took out Big Guy with a right hook and tossed Short Guy onto the angry mob. Alice squeezed up against the wall, next to Nice Guy. Everyone else in the bar was cheering on.

When Dean turned to his flank, someone sucker-punched him. As he staggered around a couple of steps, three guys came at him from different directions. One of them leapt onto his back, while the other two tried to get a punch in. Dean huddled down and used the guy on his back as a shield, while hitting his attackers hard in the stomach or on the kidneys. When they bent over in pain, he clocked them in the face. Finally he threw off the guy on his back like a rodeo-horse. Dean stood over him, ready to deliver a knock-out. The guy wisely chose to stay down, so Dean grabbed Alice and they ran out of the bar.

Nice Guy stared at the door long after they were gone…

X

Dean and Alice jumped in the Impala and took off.

"Wow... That was..." Dean began.

"Really, really stupid, I know. God, I'm so sorry! I've never done that before. Are you okay?" Alice was still very shaken up by the commotion she had caused.

"What, are you kidding me? How much did you get?" Dean grinned. "Why didn't you tell me you could shoot pool?"

"Uh, you said darts…" she shrugged. Dean chuckled and shook his head at her.

"Well, good going, and uhm...nice hustling moves," he graded his student. "Drawing a crowd – that's very entrepreneur of you. We're gonna have to work on your exit-strategy though..." Dean rubbed his soar chin.

Alice jumped up and down in her seat with joy, leaned over and kissed Dean on the cheek, then started counting the money.


	5. Chapter 5

Dean and Alice came out of the motel room holding their bags. Dean squinted in the morning sun and rubbed his eyes. He felt Alice's head against his shoulder, using his chest for a pillow. He put his arm around her and gazed over the parking lot.

Sam and Jim were waiting by the Impala, playing rock-paper-scissors. Sam did rock, Jim did scissors and thereby lost.

"Oh my God, it's genetic!" Sam exclaimed. "Sorry buddy, I won."

When Sam saw Jim pouting he felt bad for him.

"You can ride shotgun after Minnesota, how's that?"

Jim shined and nodded.

Dean and Alice came over and put their bags in the trunk.

"What's in Minnesota?" Dean asked.

"I called Bobby last night," said Sam. "Sent him the picture you took of those weird symbols on the floor. Turns out they're runes."

"As in Vikings?" Alice asked.

Sam nodded. Dean looked a little surprised anyone would know that. He grabbed his son and goofed around with him, the boy's laughter filling the air. Sam and Alice looked at them, smiling.

"There's this guy Lars in Alexandria," Sam continued. "Some Scandinavian heritage-buff, who has what Bobby describes as 'an unhealthy obsession' with anything Viking – their pagan gods, lores. He's kind of kooky though, lives in an abandoned warehouse."

"Is he a hunter?" Dean put Jim down.

"Neh, more like an unaccredited college professor," said Sam. "But he's been known to help hunters from time to time."

"Alright. Hey Jim, you wanna go to Minnesota, ya, ya?" Dean asked.

"Yeah..?"

"Nono, you have to say 'ya, ya'."

"Ya, ya…"

Alice came over and gently stroke Dean's chin. She smiled and shook her head at him, before taking her designated spot in the backseat. The boys all got in the car too.

X

Alice was digging around in her purse. She found something and hid it behind the seat so nobody would see.

"Hey, I've got a present," she told Dean.

"Yeah?"

"It's kind of...for all of us. Don't be mad."

"What?"

Alice paused for a beat with a mischievous look.

"After you guys left Seattle…I made a tape," she said and presented it. On the cover the group names were in red ink, and the song titles in blue. Dean ogled the tape with a skeptic face, then snatched it to inspect.

"Okay, first track: Belinda Carlisle – Leave a Light On..? Why would you do that to me, Alice?" Dean turned around to face her. She shrugged apologetic.  
"They're good songs!"

Dean turned back in his seat.

"And they're new," she tried at Sam, then back to Dean: "...ish! Look, I understand – this is an old car, and these are...old songs."

Dean got an acid reflux from her remark. Sam stayed out of it, but he was very amused at his brother's new problem. Dean read some more on the tape cover and nodded "okay":

"Bon Jovi, Kiss... Bryan Adams?" He stopped reading. "Let me see your hand..."

Alice sighed and reached out her hand for Dean to give back the tape. He took her hand and kissed the back of it, then rattled the tape and said in a very decisive voice:

"Nooo!"

He threw the tape on top of the dash board and fired up the Impala. Alice smiled and shook her head. Dean turned on the stereo. Bachman-Turner Overdrive – You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet came on, and Dean made a point to rock out to it.

"Leave A Light On..?" he mumbled as they drove out of the parking lot.


	6. Chapter 6

To the continued tones of _You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet_ you could follow the Winchesters and their protégées on their road trip to Minnesota.

X

The Impala drove onwards on the big, open highway.

X

In the rearview mirror Dean was watching Alice hand Jim a snack. Dean had a happy little smile on his face, and was just beaming. Sam was secretly observing Dean with a smirk. Dean caught him: "What?"  
Sam turned away: "Nothing, nothing. Sorry..."  
Alice leaned forward and whispered something for a long while in Dean's ear. As he watched her in the rearview mirror, his eyes widen. She finished with nibbling his earlobe, then leaned back again and looked out her window.

X

Sam held a little sock-puppet show for Jim.

X

Sam was working on his laptop, Jim listened to something in head phones, and Alice was leaning forward rubbing Dean's shoulders as he drove.

X

They had stopped at the side of the road. Sam was reading a map.  
"Oh!" He turned the map upside down and Dean made a defeated gesture. Alice tried hard not to laugh.

X

Sam had dozed off. Jim was sleeping in his mother's lap while she was reading a book. Dean was watching them in the rearview mirror. Alice caught him, looked up and smiled.

X

Sam sat turned around in his seat, having a very deep and intellectual discussion with Alice. Jim yawned and Dean frowned as he didn't seem to understand what they were talking about.

X

The Impala drove in at a motel parking lot. Alice and Sam were still involved in their deep and meaningful conversation. Dean went over to the check in, got two sets of keys and returned. He opened Alice's door and threw Sam a key.

"Okay… You two have been egg-heading it since Billings," Dean complained, got a hold of Alice's hand and yanked her out of the car. She giggled and followed him.

Dean opened the motel room door and let Alice in first. When he entered, she pushed him up against the door, slamming it shut, and started kissing him. He kissed her back and used his body to gently push her backwards onto the bed. They rolled around for a bit, tarring each other's clothes off.

She teasingly pushed him off and went into the bathroom. Her bra came flying out.

Dean checked the bed board for stability, then opened his bag and considered his options for a beat. He pulled out a rope.


	7. Chapter 7

The sun was getting low when the Impala parked in front of a warehouse, sitting out in the middle of nowhere. It was three stores high, looked abandoned and run down, complete with a rusty old fire escape climbing the side. Everybody got out and walked over to the house. Sam had his laptop in a bag. There was no sign of life.

"You called him, right?" asked Dean.

"Yeah, he knows we're coming," said Sam.

Alice, holding Jim's hand, was waiting a few feet back as the Winchesters tried to peek inside through the filthy windows. The first floor was basically a garage filled with various junk and cardboard boxes here and there, instead of cars. A painted red V-shaped line ran from the garage door and further into the building, past the floor drain.

"Oh yeah, there'd be some muchos freakster living in here..." Dean muttered to himself. He turned his head and THERE! A scrawny old man with glasses and crazy white hair was staring back at him from behind the window. Dean just about had a heart attack.

"Here we go. Friday..!" he panted.

Sam came over to them and called through the glass:

"Lars? I'm Sam, this is Dean."

Dean waved and smiled awkwardly. Lars just turned and went back in the house. A beat and the garage door began opening with a loud creaking. Lars appeared again, correcting his glasses and anxiously twisting his hands. When they were about to enter he spoke:

"Uhm, do wipe your feet. Uhm, please?"

Alice looked at the dusty piles of crap around them, but they all did as Lars asked.

"You say you have a photograph of the symbols? On your...telephone?" Lars queried, a little unsure about the accuracy of these claims.

"Yes, sir!" Dean grinned proudly. Lars scowled him for smiling out of order. Dean felt uneasy and nodded at Sam.

"Uh, I put them on my computer..." Sam lifted his bag where he had the laptop. Lars just stared at him. Sam stared back, waiting to be invited beyond the garage. No luck. Sam looked at Dean, who shrugged.

"Here, I'll just show you," said Sam, took out his laptop from the bag and fired it up. Lars looked at the laptop – no wires? Sam pulled up the picture. "Okay... A demon was using this for some kind of ritual. On the boy here."

Sam handed Lars the laptop. When he looked at the picture he got visibly excited.

"Well now..! That wasn't very kind at all, was it?"

Lars walked away into the house with Sam's laptop, not taking his eyes off the symbols. They all stayed in the garage, looking at each other. A beat and then Lars' head popped back out, observing them where they stood. Dean ventured a guess:

"Why don't we all just tag along!"

Lars left again and they followed.

X

On second floor was the living area. Coming up the stairs, they came into a great big space, with what could pass for a living room. There was an eclectic group of couches, an old tv and stuffed bookshelves. Further back was the kitchen and display room. Behind the big, solid wooden doors you could glimpse Viking artifacts and paintings.

Lars went to stand in the middle of the room mumbling to himself, still completely absorbed by the runes on Sam's laptop. Without taking his eyes off the screen he pointed around to give them the tour:

"Living room, display room, kitchen." He looked up at them, nervously tapping the laptop. "Uhm, do you require any refreshments, or should we...get to the point?"

"Point's fine," said Dean and Lars started heading towards the stairs again.

"Do you have any ice-cream?" asked the boy. They all froze and watched Lars turn around. Jim had a slight smile and tilted his head.

"Why, young man!" said Lars. "I most certainly do."


	8. Chapter 8

Third floor was one big space, divided into some sort of bedroom, and a well organized but dusty library. There were tables here and there with recent study-material scattered all over them, and the book shelves were alphabetized with big, hand-written notes taped on.

Still holding the laptop, Lars led them through his bedroom and into the library section. Jim was enjoying his bowl of ice-cream and sat down on Lars' bed while the others continued further into the room. Dean looked around.

"So, this is where the good stuff is, huh?"

Lars took out a book on "Ceremonies in the Everyday Life of the Viking", put it down on one of the tables along with the laptop, and started going through the book. He found a page with pictures of rune stones and women in dresses.

"Aha!" Lars smiled at them – he had found it. He continued reading, nodding to himself. Sam helped him communicate:

"What did you find, Lars?"

"Oh! Uhm, my sincere apologies… These runes do indeed spell out the text used to merit unions, uhm…weddings." Lars nodded, proud of himself for figuring it out. He went back to reading. Dean was grasping for words.

"That thing was...trying to marry my son? She wasn't going to kill him?" He looked over at Sam. "I…think I just found a way to want to kill it even more."

Sam squirmed and nodded.

"Huh?" Lars awoke. "Oh, heaven's no, she wasn't going to kill him at all. She was preparing to have someone else binding them self to him. Uhm, forever. Had they finished... Uhm, well, no exorcism I've ever heard of would have pulled her out of that boy then." He went back to reading while mumbling: "Quite... Uhm, quite lucky you got there in time. Yes..."

Dean came up and put a hand over the text Lars was reading. Dean tried forcing a smile, but it came out a bitter grin.

"Help me out here, Lars. A demon was trying to possess my son? By _marrying _him?"

"Uhm, well the Vikings used this ritual for human-to-human weddings. When used by a demon, along with a blót – blood sacrifice – it sort of becomes a…uhm, binding spell, a curse instead."

Lars nervously corrected his glasses. The rather large man in front of him was purposely invading his personal space.

"It's as different as stealing something as oppose to borrowing it," Lars explained. "The mechanics of the action is the same, but the intent behind it along with the harm it inflicts... Uhm, quite…quite different. Quite different, indeed."

Sam frowned a little, working out the comparison. Dean tilted his head, patiently waiting for Lars to get to the good part.  
"You see, pagan dark forces aren't as...uhm, particular in their spell work, as some others. Oh, Latin mischief..! Uhm, a simple calling of the right name, a blót and some friendly phrases are really all you need to summon them."

Lars looked back and forth between Dean and the book. May he go on reading now?

"You said this demon was preparing the spell for someone else?" Sam asked.

"Yes! The symbols are calling for the bride-to-be, in this case summoning her...uhm – it. They're essentially being good enough to spell out the name of whoever is after your son." Lars pointed to the laptop, but then saw something he hadn't caught before. "The runes seem to have been partially smeared out... Did... Uhm, did you _step_ on this?"

"When Jim could move again, he ran out of the circle so I could hold him..." Alice explained.

"Ah, that would explain it!" Lars was happy the mystery was solved. Then he realized his enthusiasm might seam inappropriate. "Ohhh..!" he added with empathy. "Yes... Uhm, well I'm sure I can decipher it, given some time."

"So in the meantime we just hang out here, hoping this thing doesn't find us?" Dean asked.

Lars looked at him, as though he had said something amusingly stupid.

"No, you seek out the Kensington run stone," he chuckled.

They all looked at him, waiting for more information. He stared back at them…

"Oh! Uhm..."


	9. Chapter 9

The sign on Kensington Run Stone Museum shone like a beacon in the night sky. With the hordes of tourists and school children long gone, all the lights inside were off, except in one or two exhibitions.

The Winchesters and Alice came sneaking in, holding flashlights. Sam was carrying a hammer and chisel. Dean talked in a low voice, in case any guards were lurking:

"I still don't feel right about leaving Jim with IKEA-reject!"

"He'll be fine! Lars is sweet, he just needs to get out more," Alice assured him.

"Over here guys," Sam called.

Dean and Alice went over to Sam, standing in front of a big rune stone. He read from a sign:

"'This stone was originally intended to be a landmark in the 14th century.'"

"That's before Columbus, right?" Dean asked.

"Yeah… 'Viking explorers left their men to watch over the ships and the stone. They traveled for a day, and upon their return only ten of the men were still alive. They claimed holding on to the rock had saved them from 'dark forces.'" Sam paused and looked up at the artifact. Only a rope kept visitors from getting too close. "You'd think they'd at least incase it..?"

"Probably not that many people who need to fend off evil bridezillas. No need to cube it up," Dean reasoned.

"Yeah, but... Anything?"

"Sammy, it's a rock!"

The Winchesters looked at each other and shrugged. Sam handed Alice the hammer and chisel.

"You wanted to learn the job..." he said and held down the rope for her.

"Okay," she nodded and stepped inside the rope. A very noisy alarm went off!  
She spun around, looking at the guys. Sam turned and looked at Dean like "I told you so". His brother frowned back at him.

"Just go, go, go! We gotta have those stones!" Dean shouted over the alarm.

Alice started chipping off pieces of the stone. Sam ran over to the window, he could hear the sirens from a cop car in the distance. Dean looked over at him, and Sam whirled his finger in the air, mimicking the lights of a siren. Dean turned back to Alice:

"Baby?"

She chipped off another piece of the stone, scooped up the pieces and put them in a pouch.

"Got it!" she yelled and ducked under the rope. Dean took her hand and they all ran towards the exit.

X

As they reached the main entrance, they could hear the sirens coming closer and see their flashing lights.

"Crap. Other way!" Dean decided.

They ran back through the exhibit.

X

The museum backdoor opened and Sam peeked out. Nobody was there. He jerked out his pocket knife from the lock and waved to the others. They all ran outside, but immediately halted. Around the corner they saw a flashlight coming their way and soon they heard the footsteps of a cop running.

"Police officer! Show yourself!" they heard the voice of a young cop.

"Son of a… Okay! Sam you and Alice go back inside, I'll draw them off," said Dean.

"No!" Alice protested and took out a gun from the back of Dean's pants.

"Allie?"

"Over here!" she yelled to the cop, fired the gun twice in the air, then SHREEKED as in terror. She ducked down hiding the gun, and pulled Dean down with her. Sam squatted down too, looking confused. Alice hid in Dean's arms and pretended to cry.

A middle-aged cop bolted out of the museum.

"Police! Show me your hands!" he demanded, aiming his gun at them. They all obeyed. The younger cop cleared the corner. Alice pointed into the forest.

"Over there! He's crazy, he's got a gun!" she leaned in on Dean and pretended to cry some more. Dean played along.

"Police! Stop right there!" the younger cop yelled as he set off towards the tree line. The older cop wasn't happy.

"Damn it..! Is anyone hurt?" he asked.

"No…" said Alice. The older cop looked over where his colleague had run off to.

"You stay right here! Stay here!" he ordered, before running towards the woods, talking into the radio on his shoulder.

"Yes, sir!" Dean shouted after him.

As soon as their flashlights disappeared among the trees the Winchesters and Alice stood up.

Sam was blown away:

"Girls are awesome! Dude, they never would have believed us!"

"Well, as it happens, they usually believe _you_... What does that tell you?" Dean taunted and got his chest slapped by Alice. He pulled her close and kissed her. "You little outlaw! Starting bar fights, lying to the cops… What are you up to next, huh? Should I brace myself?"

She giggled.

"Just following your bad example."

They all calmly walked back to the car.


	10. Chapter 10

No lights were on inside Lars' warehouse when the Impala parked outside. In the backseat Alice finished the last amulet, tying some string around the little stones, making a necklace out of it. She handed out one amulet each to Sam and Dean.

"Thanks baby." Dean put the amulet on and looked at the dark building. "I don't like this."

"Yeah, me neither," said Sam.

Alice put her amulet on and grabbed the ones made for Jim and Lars.

"What don't you like?" she asked.

"You know that tingling sensation in the back of your neck? That's not Bruce Willis getting emo, that's something being off," said Dean.

"Like having not a one light on, when it's dark and you're expecting people," Sam explained.

Alice felt herself starting to panic.

"Wait here," Dean told her.

The Winchesters got out of the car, and started gearing up with weapons from the trunk. Alice followed them out of the car. Dean looked up at her.

"Alice!"

"No! I'm going."

Dean wasn't happy, but realized there was no use arguing with her right now. They could discuss the chain of command later. Dean took out a shotgun with rock salt and pumped it one time, to show her how to work it. It was a loud, harsh noise that made her flinch, but when he handed it over she took it.

"All right, stay close," Dean told her. "Do not shoot unless you can make the target. For God's sake, don't shoot Jim! Uhm…or any of us."

Sam fearfully peeked over at her holding the gun.

They went over to the warehouse.


	11. Chapter 11

Sam and Dean forced the garage door open. Without the hydraulics it was as loud as ever.

"Ah, element of surprise – where's the sport in that?" Dean huffed.

Alice peeped under the garage door as it came up, checking for danger. Nothing there. They went to the stairs. The Winchesters went first, aiming their weapons in front of them.

X

They came up the stairs and stepped out on second floor. Alice gasped and covered her mouth not to scream.

In the middle of the room Lars and some guy they've never seen before were lying dead in a puddle of blood. Lars had probably tried to defend himself, because in his right hand there was a kitchen knife. Next to the unknown guy there was the circle of rune symbols again, and the guy's fingertips were bloody from writing them.

"Jim..?" Dean said under his breath and looked over at Sam, who nodded. The Winchesters aimed their guns and went to clear the floor. Dean headed for the kitchen, while Sam went and swept the display room.

The big wooden doors creaked slightly in their hinges as Sam entered. It was dark, full of junk and lots of places things could be lurking in. Louder than anything, Sam could hear his own breath and heart beats. Something in the corner of his eye was…MOVING! He jumped to the side and aimed at – a Viking helmet that had caught the flair of Dean's flash light. Sam lowered his gun and sighed, shaking his head at his brother.

X

Alice stood there all alone in the middle of the room, looking at Lars' lifeless body. She held out the amulet she was going to give him.

"I'm sorry..." she whispered. She looked around for Jim, but no one was there. She took a couple of steps towards Lars. He had earned this amulet. She put the gun down by her side and kneeled down on the floor.

As she went down you could see Jim standing behind her over by the stairs. He didn't make a sound as he started walking towards her. He came closer and closer as she laid the amulet on Lars' chest. Finally the boy stopped right behind her and reached out a hand at her. He placed it on her shoulder. Alice spun around, looking up at him.

"Jim!"

For a split second she was relieved, but then remembered she couldn't be sure who was standing in front of her. As a jerk reaction she reached for her gun, but realized she wouldn't be needing that either way. She hesitated, but reached up a shaking hand to stroke Jim's cheek.

"Honey... Is that you..?" she whispered.

"He told me to go hide..." Jim said in shock. It was really him!

"Jimmy..!"

Alice covered her son's eyes so he wouldn't have to look anymore at the dead bodies. She stood up and pulled him near, he clung to her legs.

Sam and Dean came back. She turned around and smiled at them. Jim was alright, now they just had to get out of here in one piece…

She saw the Winchesters halt and aim their weapons away. They cautiously moved towards her and Jim. She just stared at them for a beat, confused. She looked down at Jim again – that was not her son!

The creature possessing Jim had a firm grip of her legs, looking up at her with an unnatural, evil grin. She screamed, tried to push him off, but fell to the floor with him still latching on. Dean charged forward, aiming his gun at Jim's forehead. It threw the demon off, allowing her enough time to crawl away, over to the brothers. Sam caught her and pulled her up, behind him. He put an arm out to stop her from interfering. Dean aimed at the boy.

"You get the hell out of him!" he demanded.

"No. I'm having fun. And you're not gonna shoot me, are you…daddy?" Dean slowly aimed his gun away. It knew… "But I am going to do THIS..." The entity used its power on Dean, but all it accomplished was to nudge Dean back slightly and throw around some things in the vicinity. Dean didn't even loose his balance, though some books were hurled at him. He dodged the books.  
The demon looked surprised and angry. Dean held up his amulet and shook his finger like Jim had been a bad little boy. Sam circled around Dean to trap the demon, and Dean locked eyes with it.

"Get. Out," he said.

The demon gazed over at Alice. She was standing over there looking worried. The demon bent his head down in defeat.

"Okay..." said the creature, then slowly turned its face up at Alice with an evil grin. She tilted her head. It was up to something. She took a couple of steps in its direction. With an invisible force Jim's body jerked backwards and flew into the display room.

"Mommyyy!" the boy's voice shrieked.

"Jim!" She ran after him.

The demon slammed the big wooden doors shut right in front of her, and she jumped at them.

"Nooo!"

Sam caught her mid flight and dragged her away from the doors.

"It's not him, it's not him!" he reminded her in a stern voice.

"He's all alone in there – with that thing!" she cried.

Dean paced back and forth, pulling his hair. He couldn't focus enough to think. Alice was right, who knew what that creature could be doing to its host body, or what memories Jim would have from this? If they ever got it out of him.

"It's afraid of us," he heard his brother. He looked up at Sam.

"What?"

"It can't hurt us because of the amulets, and it just locked itself away. Why? Why not just make a break for it?"

"Yeah… Yeah, why doesn't it leave? We can't be that fun to torture..." Dean thought.

"Is...Is that a good thing?" Alice was trying to stop sobbing. Dean went over and wanted to put his arms around her.

"No, I'll just...cry," she said and put a shaking hand on his chest. He nodded quietly. He was absolutely useless to his family.

"Guys, I wanna look at something down stairs," said Sam.


	12. Chapter 12

Sam came down the stairs to first floor, then Alice and last Dean, who made sure the demon wasn't following them. Sam squatted down by the painted red V by the garage door. He got up and followed the line further back into the building, moving some boxes and crap as he went.

"Guys!"

Dean and Alice ran over to him. Sam pointed to another red V in the corner of the house.

"It's a devil's trap! A big one!" Dean exclaimed.

"That's why Lars lived all the way out here...and why he never got a maid to come over," said Sam. "This whole building is sitting on a giant devil's trap. Spread the word around and all the nasties are gonna go bump somewhere else. They know they can't get back out!"

"A demon's Hotel California... Nice, Lars!" Dean made a crooked smile and nodded in recognition. "All right, so that's why the thing still hangs around. Now, how do we get it out of him?"

"All we need to know about it is probably up in Lars' library. We'll have to sneak up there, past Jim somehow."

X

Sam, Alice and Dean climbed up the rusty old fire escape to get to 3rd floor. It was creaking ominously and they felt very exposed and vulnerable.

X

Sam opened the window to third floor with his pocket knife, and they all snuck inside. Dean looked at the door going to the stairs. It was demolished.

"Something broke in here," he concluded.

"Probably the guy down stairs," said Sam.

Alice squeezed her eyes shut, unwilling to imagine what it must have been like for Lars and Jim.

X

Lars was reading. Jim was bored, sitting next to him. The door suddenly burst open and the stranger came walking through. Lars told Jim to run, then took out the knife and went to meet the attacker. They wrestled, Lars got a few stabs in and they fell down the stairs. Lars got up first and fled into the open area on second floor. When he turned around the demon was standing behind him.

X

She shrugged it off and turned to look at the big library.

"So, where do we start?" she asked.

"We start by copying Lars' homework," Dean smirked and went to the closest table and shone a flashlight on the books. Alice looked confused.  
"Lars probably started researching after we left," Sam explained. "Let's see how far he got. Start by checking the books on all the tables."

"Hey, it's the 'pretty blue book'… We had this in Seattle," Dean remarked.

"Was that there before?" Sam asked, came over and moved away a note lying on the book.

"I dunno..." Dean looked at his brother.

"The note wasn't," said Alice and pointed at the bookshelves. "Look, he ripped it down from the shelf to write on."

Sam pointed his flashlight on the bookshelves. There was a letter A and C, but no B taped on the alphabetized shelves, the dust told him there used to be a note there. Sam turned the note, and it said B on the back. Sam turned the note back over. In the upper left corner there was just one word: _Leve_

"'Leve'? He was trying to write something when Mr. Finger-Paint down stairs interrupted him," said Sam.

"Great, so what's "leve"? Levitate?" Dean thought out loud.

"L-E-V-I..." Sam corrected him.

"Uh, maybe he spelled it wrong?"

Sam gave him a look.

Alice read from the blue book.

"You guys know what Ma...Mánagarmr is?"

Dean went to peek over her shoulder. He flinched back.

"Whoa! Dog. Big, black, chewing...dog!"

Sam looked at the picture. It was a big black wolf, chasing a carriage at night.

"I think it's a wolf, Dean."

"Oh, well that makes it alright then!"

"'The wolf Mánagarmr chases Nótt across the sky'," Alice read the caption by the picture.

"So, Jim is 'married' to a Viking hellhound?" Dean asked. "Why isn't he barking?"

"Wait..." Sam thought. "It wouldn't have taken Lars too long to figure out those smudgy runes, I think he found the demon. And then..."

Dean and Alice looked at him, trying to figure out where he was going with this.

"Maybe the wolf Mánagarmr is Lars' solution to the problem?" Sam pulled aside the blue book, revealing the book under it. "And this would be our problem..." he concluded.

Dean didn't really want to look at the picture, but braced himself and peeked. The next second his shoulders went down and he frowned at Sam as to say "really..?" The picture showed a woman in Viking combat outfit kneeling with her arms raised to the night-sky. The headline said "Nótt".

"What, Gladiatrix here?" Dean asked.

"It's a Valkyrie, Dean. And she's praying to the deity Nótt – old Norse for 'Night'. Guess that's a demon," said Sam.

"Some stage name!" Dean thought.

Alice read the text on the page:

"'Hail to the Day! Hail to the sons of Day! To Night and her daughter hail! With placid eyes behold us here, and here sitting give us victory'."

"Hey! Wo, wo... What are you... Don't call it in here!" said Dean.

"It's okay, you still have to make the blood sacrifice for anything to happen, remember?" Sam assured him. "And probably say it in old Norse too. Or...at least contemporary Swedish."

"Guys, look at the Norse translation beside it – it starts with the word 'leve'," said Alice. "So 'leve' means 'hail'?"

"I guess. Why would you be writing this down, Lars?" Sam couldn't make sense of it.

"What if he was trying to summon the creepy wolf-thing?" asked Dean.

"No, this gives tribute to Night... And her daughter Day," said Sam.

"Yeah, but... Okay, so the wolf chases this Night-demon, right? Now, Lars said the Vikings weren't too hung-up on formalities... So maybe, if we exchange the name Nótt with the wolf's name, using this prayer, we make HIM come and drag her statutoring ass back to Hell?"

"Yeah... Or we get a hellhound humming ABBA while he's ripping us apart," said Sam.

"That's why he was holding the knife..!" said Alice. "Lars – he was going to make a blood sacrifice to enhance the prayer."

Dean and Alice looked at Sam.

"It's crazy," Dean admitted. "But it's the best crazy we've got."

Sam nodded.

"We're going to have to let the wolf in."


	13. Chapter 13

On second floor Lars' and the unknown guy's bodies were still lying on the floor.

Alice's voice called out from first floor:

"Jimmy..! Jim, can you hear me? Come to mommy! I'm down here."

The door to the display room opened and the possessed boy came out. He listened, tilted his head thinking, and then went down stairs to investigate.

Sam came sneaking in from the stairs from third floor. He picked up Lars' knife, stepped over the two bodies and went into the kitchen. In the kitchen, he cleaned off the knife on a towel and started going through the cupboards, looking for something.

X

Jim came out from the stairs on first floor. Dean was lying on the ground, Alice standing over him holding a baseball bat. She looked pleading over at her son.

"He... He wouldn't understand. Jim is still in there, right? Somewhere?"

The demon smirked and slowly walked towards Alice, who backed away.

"I'm here mommy... Will you help me?"

Alice bit her lip and nodded "yes". When the boy's feet had passed by Dean, Alice dropped the bat on the floor. Dean heard it falling and opened his eyes.

Alice took out a pocket knife and went down to scratch the red paint on the devil's trap. The demon inside Jim smiled widely. Alice paused and looked up at him, pleading.

"Do you think, after a while... Maybe you could…let him go?"

"Sure. Just let me out first," Night promised.

Alice nodded and started scratching away some of the red paint, leaving a free passage.

Behind the demon Dean jumped up and threw a net over Jim. Alice got up and helped Dean pin their son down on the ground. Night made stuff in Lars' garage fly around. A lamp hit Alice in the head and she fell off to the side, groggy.

"Allie? Allie!" Dean called while struggling to hold Night down. Sam came in from the stairs, ran over and threw himself down, assisting Dean.

"Alice! By the stairs!" he yelled.

Alice got up, staggered over to the stairs and picked up the big kitchen knife, a funnel and a big glass halfway filled with water. She came back and kneeled down beside them.

"Back pocket. YOU have to do it," Sam instructed.

Alice took out the note from Sam's back pocket. She read it and picked up the knife, then cut into her arm while saying:

"Leve Mánagarmr! Leve ulven!"

She got a few drops of blood into the glass with water. Next she moved over to Dean and held up the note for him to read while she cut his arm.

"Leve Mánagarmr! Leve ulven!" Dean cited.

Night almost broke free. The Winchesters had to throw themselves on top of him to hold him down.

"Hurry!" Sam called.

"Come on, baby!" Dean shouted. Alice moved over to Sam, and cut his arm.

"Leve Mánagarmr! Leve ulven!" yelled Sam.

"You've got him?" Dean asked his brother.

"Not really..!"

Dean sat on top of the possessed boy, forcing his mouth open. Alice stuck the funnel through the net and into Jim's mouth. She poured the blood-water mix down the funnel while holding the note out for Sam to read:

"Leve Mánagarmr! Leve ulven! Till Mánagarmr, Natts jägare, leve! Med blida ögon beskåda oss här, och vi som närvarar, giv oss seger."

The demon was still struggling.

"Did you fix the prayer?" Dean wondered. "Wait, you don't speak Swedish!"

Suddenly Jim lay completely still...

"Google does," said Sam.

"Lars had Internet?"

"Lars had a phone line, I just..." Sam rolled his eyes. "You don't wanna know."

Dean hesitantly lifted one hand away from Jim to give Sam an L on the forehead. The brothers scowled each other for a beat.

"What are we waiting for?" asked Alice.

Black smoke started oozing out of Jim's mouth, little orange sparks flashed here and there.

"That!" Dean smiled widely at her.

A sudden jerk and the Winchesters got thrown off. Night got up, pulled off the net, but then fell to her knees again, choking.

"She won't let him go!" Sam exclaimed.

"What?" Alice asked.

"The blót wasn't strong enough. We need more blood," said Sam.

Jim spoke in an otherworldly, dark voice:  
"Give...me...a clean...body!"

They all just stared at the boy.

"I'll...destroy him!" the demon warned.

"She's gonna stay in there and choke him?" Alice was frantic. "Sam? How do we get more blood in him?"

Sam looked over at her, grasping to give her an answer. They all just stood there, helpless while Jim was choking.

Dean made a decision. He picked up the kitchen knife, tore his shirt open at the neck and made a cut straight through the anti-possession tattoo on his chest. Then he cut his arm again.

"Leve Mánagarmr! Leve ulven! Leve Mánagarmr! Leve ulven!" he repeated, smearing the blood all over the knife. "There, is that enough for ya, you greedy mutt?"

He reached the handle of the knife over to Sam. Sam just stared at him. Dean gripped his amulet.

"Sammy, take the knife!"

"No..!" His brother shook his head, terrified.

"Damn it Sam, take the knife right now!"

"No, Dean listen..!"

"You listen! I'm gonna yank off the stone and give this bitch her 'clean body'. And you are gonna finish it, or she'll nab Jim and make a run for it. The trap is wide open. Sam!"

"Dean…" Sam pleaded. "No… No..! We'll figure something out, okay? We'll..."

"Sam, look at my son – he's choking! Take the damn knife!"

"Dean I can't! Just...wait..!"

While they argued Alice looked over at Jim dying on the floor. She clutched her own amulet, then ripped it off. She looked over at the Winchesters. Sam stared at her, Dean spun around.

"Nooo! Alliiie!"

She heard her name in a blur as the black smoke took her over.


	14. Chapter 14

Alice fell to her knees. Jim coughed, unconscious on the floor. Sam ran over to check on him.

Dean was just standing there, tears welling up.

Night, now inhabiting Alice, got up from the floor and looked at Dean. He was just a few feet away, still holding the blóted knife, but she wasn't concerned. She gazed over at Jim, then at the open devil's trap, and smiled. Dean turned his head slightly; he knew what she was thinking.

"What is our self-sacrificing, throw-him-self-on-the-sword hero going to do now?" Night taunted. She took a few steps in the room and casually looked around. She pointed to Alice's body. "This is...quite a predica..."

She didn't finish, because Dean had stuck the knife deep into her belly. She gasped and grabbed the collar of his shirt, staring at him with evil eyes. Dean stabbed her again, twirling the knife around, making sure to damage her heart.

"DIE!" he yelled in her face.

Flashes in her eyes, Alice's body shook as Night died. Alice fell lifeless to the floor. Dean kneeled down next to her and closed his eyes.

"Michael... Please, I know you can heal her. Michael..?" No response. "Michael please..! Please! I said 'yes' to you, now you do me this one favor… MICHAEL!"

"He's not here to help." Sam's voice was dejected and bitter. "He has his orders, and she's not important to 'the bloodline'."

Alice came to, but there was no miracle. She made a face of pain, looked around all confused and coughed blood. Every breath was a gasp, shivering through her body.

"Oh God..!" Dean gasped.

She looked up at Dean as he stroke her face. She turned to Jim, reaching out her hand. Sam carried Jim over and laid him in her arms.

"He's okay, he's just out of it…" Sam whispered.

Alice kissed Jim's forehead and squeezed her eyes shut. She wouldn't get to see him grow up.

She turned to Dean and tried to smile. He was holding his tears back for her. She reached up and touched his face, then put her arm around him.

"I don't have time for... I love you. I've always loved you," she told him.

"I love you too..." he whispered.

"No... You don't have to..."

Dean kissed her lips to shut her up, telling her again and again:

"I love you, I love you, I love you..."

She started crying.

"You were gonna be my happy ending," Dean mumbled.

"I'm sorry..." she sobbed. "You and Sam... You can keep him safe. It had to be me..!"

Dean shook his head, but she continued:

"They'll never stop coming. You teach him how to be a soldier. You teach him..!" She turned to Sam. "And you make sure he's not too hard on him."

Sam nodded, tears burning in his eyes.

Alice turned back to Dean. He could see by her eyes she was slipping away. He kissed her forehead and held her, listening to every gasping breath she took.

"Please stay... Please, just a little longer..." he pleaded.

Sam watched the blood from her body flow away and start dripping down the floor drain, counting her time left like an hourglass.

One more shivering breath and her arms fell away from holding Dean and Jim. Dean looked at her and whispered:

"Allie..? Allie..?


	15. Chapter 15

There were no houses or streetlamps in sight, only the pitch black road, next to the big gaping canyon. Sam was standing in the headlights of the Impala, making a call.

"Yeah, three bodies. Please come pick them up. I'm sure their families want closure…"

Sam hung up the phone, took out the chip from his cell phone and threw it away as far as he could. He went back to the car.

X

Sam sat down in the driver's seat. Dean was in the passenger seat, holding Jim. The boy was still unconscious and Dean had wrapped his jacket around him.

Sam made a distressed face when he spotted some blood on Jim's chin.

"Uhm, Dean..."

"What..?"

"Nothing, I got it."

Sam misted the end of his shirt with his tongue and wiped the blood off. Dean freaked out.

"Oh, Jesus..!"

"Dean, I got it! Calm down. I got it..."

Dean looked at Jim sleeping peacefully in his arms, then turned to Sam:

"He's gonna turn into me..!"

"Not the bad parts. I won't let him," said Sam.

Dean nodded to Sam: "promise!" and Sam nodded back: "I promise."

Sam looked at the dashboard. On top of it lied Alice's tape. Sam picked it up and waved it at Dean with a crocked smile. Dean laughed a little.

"Yeah, I could go for some Belinda Carlisle right now..."

Sam put the tape in and they sat there in silence listening to Belinda Carlisle – Leave A Light On.

Dean broke down crying, clutching his son. Sam tried comforting his brother, but then decided to leave him alone to grieve. He put in the gear and steered the car out, onto the road again.

When the chorus hit, the headlights of the Impala was the only light you could see.


End file.
